Book photos (3): Mark LaFavor / Venetia Dale,
T o u c h m a r k s N 0 .9 0 1 M a d e in I n d ia
photo: Courtesy of the artist
zoom
B o o k s
M
i s
s
t e
p
s
a
n
d
M
a
g
n
i f
i c
e
n
c
e
F u r n itu r e w it h S o u l: M a s t e r
W o o d w o r k e r s a n d T h e ir C r a f t
B y D a v id S a v a g e
K o d a n s h a In te rn a tio n a l,
$ 4 5
k o d a n sh a -in tl.c o m
EVER WONDER WHAT IT WOULD
b e lik e to to u r a fu rn itu re-m ak in g
stu d io , ask in g e v e r y q u estio n th at
cam e to y o u r m in d ? D a v id S a v -
age v isits
2 0
o f th e m o st talen ted
fu rn itu re m ak ers alive and does
e x a c tly th at. R e fle c tin g o n his
o w n e x p e rie n ce s as a fu rn itu re
m ak er, S a v a g e im b u es th e n arra-
tiv e w ith a th o u g h tfu l se n sitiv ity .
W h ile S a v a g e h ig h lig h ts
e x tr a o r d in a r y a c c o m p lis h m e n ts
an d te c h n iq u e s , h e also d e ta ils
fla w s , m isste p s, an d m ista k e s,
c re a tin g a w e ll-r o u n d e d p o rtra it
o f p e r s o n a lity , in s p ira tio n , an d
stu d io cu ltu re . I t ’s an e n lig h te n -
in g p e r s p e c tiv e , w ith g lim p se s
o f th e p e rs o n a l and p u b lic c h a l-
le n g e s e v e n th e m o s t c e le b ra te d
a rtists m u st o v e r c o m e .
S a v a g e illu stra te s th e v e r y
im p o rta n t ro le o f p a tro n a g e and
c u ltiv a te d tru st b e tw e e n c lie n t
an d a rtis t, an d h e a rtic u la te s th e
c o m p le x an d in te rd e p e n d e n t
re la tio n s h ip b e tw e e n th e se a rt-
ists and th e ir a p p re n tic e s . J o h n
M a k e p e a c e ’s stu d e n ts at th e
P a m h a m T ru s t h elp ed fab ricate
m o re fu rn itu re th an h e c o u ld
h a v e e v e r m ad e o n h is o w n ;
b y s e e in g th ro u g h s tu d e n ts ’
e y e s , M a k e p e a c e re ta in e d a
c ritic a l p e r s p e c tiv e o n h is o w n
d e sig n s. S a v a g e ask s p ro b in g
q u e s tio n s a b o u t m e th o d , m o ti-
v a tio n , an d c o n c e p t as w e ll as
te c h n iq u e an d m a te ria l sig n ifi-
c a n c e . W e le a rn n o t o n ly th e
F u r n i t u r e w i t h S o u l
is a visual
bounty, from the organic form
of a John Makepeace table
(top) to Rupert Williamson’s
refined work (bottom).
F U R N IT U R E
S O U L
VvWtCf
3ix! Tin* Ddfl
OAVIO SAVAGE
h o w , b u t also th e w h y o f each
a rtis t’s p ro c e s s .
F in is h , m a te ria l, and fo rm
are e sse n tia l to c o n v e y in g an
id ea. J o h n C e d e r q u is t uses
tro m p e l ’o e il p a in tin g an d co l-
la g e d c o m p o s itio n , c o m m u n i-
c a tin g th e d is jo in te d an d o fte n
m y o p ic n a tu re o f c o m m e rc e
an d e c o n o m ic a sp ira tio n . I t ’s
n o te w o r th y th a t S a v a g e also
in clu d es P e te r D a n k o , a d esign er
w h o fo c u s e s o n fu rn itu re
fo r m ass p ro d u c tio n , p u sh in g
th e lim its o f la m in a te d w o o d
w ith th e s e n s itiv ity an d skill
o f a sc u lp to r.
T h e b o o k is lo a d e d w ith
b e a u tifu l p h o to s o f e a ch m a k -
e r ’s fin ish e d w o r k , b u t th e
real in s id e r p e r s p e c tiv e c o m e s
fro m th e s k e tc h e s an d w o r k -
sh o p p h o to s . W e se e th e d u st
an d d irt in o n e a rtis t’s stu d io
an d th e im m a cu la te d ra ftin g
b o a rd s o f a n o th e r. W h ile all
o f th e w o r k fro m th e s e m a ste rs
is fa s tid io u s ly e x e c u te d , in th e
h a n d s an d m in d s o f b rillia n t
m a k ers, it’s clear th ere are m an y
p a th s to c re a te fu rn itu re th a t
e x p re s s e s in te lle c t an d élan .
- S E T H
K E L L E R
S eth K e lle r is a fu r n itu r e design er
a n d b u ild er in Gaylord,, M ich ig a n .
T X / H o u s to n
H o u s to n C e n te r fo r
C o n te m p o r a r y C r a ft
B ey o n d U sefu l & B e a u tifu l:
R e th in k in g D o m estic C r a ft
O c t.
1
- Jan .
8
c r a fth o u s to n .o r g
D e p a rtin g fro m W illia m M o rris ’
b e lie f th at th in g s sh o u ld b e u se -
fu l o r b e a u tifu l, th is s h o w e x -
p lo re s c ra ft in th e h o m e th ro u g h
d o m e stic v ig n e tte s , w ith wro rk
b y
13
c o n te m p o ra ry artists such
as V e n e tia D a le (b elo w 7).
T X / R o u n d T o p
C o p p e r S h a d e T r e e
F in e C r a ft G a lle r y
Q u ilts by M e n
O c t.
2 6
- N o v .
2 0
c o p p e rs h a d e tre e .c o m
In a fe m a le -d o m in a te d fie ld ,
th is show- o f w 'o rk b y
1 6
N o r th
A m e r ic a n m en stan d s o u t.
Q u ilts
«V.*
by M e n
ru n s in c o n ju n c tio n w ith
th e In te rn a tio n a l Q u ilt F e s tiv a l
in H o u s to n ( N o v .
3
-
6
) an d th e
p la n n e d o p e n in g o f th e T e x a s
Q u ilt M u s e u m in L a G ra n g e .
V T / B r a ttle b o r o
B r a ttle b o r o M u s e u m
& A r t C e n te r
A R T C r a ft
to O c t.
2 3
b ra ttle b o ro m u s e u m .o rg
S ix s h o w s h ig h lig h t artists
p u sh in g b o u n d a ries: “ G la ss in
A ll S e n s e s ,” “ C la ire V a n V lie t:
A C e le b ra tio n o f P a p e r” (to
S e p .
2 6
) , “J a ck ie A b ra m s & Josh
B e rn b a u m : D ia lo g u e ” (glass
an d w o v e n v e s s e ls ), “ M a rtin a
L a n tin : P a s s a g e ” (in sta lla tio n ),
“ S te p h e n P ro c te r: M o n u m e n ta l
V e s s e ls ” (c e ra m ic s ), and “ K a re n
K a m e n e tz k y : T h e S p a ce s
B e tw e e n ” (te x tile s ).
o c t / n o v i i
a m e r i c a n c r a f t 0 2 9
